What we're Jay Z's daily duties/legacy as Def Jam boss?

[Harry B]

Jay signed Ross, Ne-Yo and Jeezy. I believe there’s an interview where he discuss how he use to go to therapy because the CEO job was psychologically daunting.

Didn't Shakir sign Jeezy? I think Jay however worked with Jeezy when everything was already set in motion.

 

[FromBillionsCameOne]

This shyt again? Mostly gonna get people shytting on Jay and claiming that not only did he do nothing positive as an executive at Def Jam but that he actively sabotaged other artists lol. None of us know what the fuk he did or didn't do there smh. One thing he definitely wasn't responsible for Kanye as a whole but he did use dozens of his beats before he was a star. Obviously they were dope beats but those placements were "instrumental" in his success. Even though Jay was Co owner and I assume helped make decisions at rocafella records he was probably focused on being an artist and I'd assume that Dash and Hoffa were a lot more involved day to day. Most artists are just artists and that takes up the vast majority of their time, now imagine throwing record exec on top of that. Anyway yeah who the fuk knows what his day to day was like at Def Jam. I'm GUESSING that he was used as an attraction for artists to sign there. That's obvious and I think for him he wanted to be totally immersed in the business side of things since even though he was an exec at rocafella he had to focus on being an artist. Dame even said that he(Dame) was spoiled as an exec because Jay was gonna sell a few million records every year regardless so everything else was icing on the cake so he had no pressure.

 

[Chris Cool]

Didn't Shakir sign Jeezy? I think Jay however worked with Jeezy when everything was already set in motion.

Yeah shakir signed jeezy and ross, neyo was la reid. Jay did sign rihanna.

 

[SleezyBigSlim]

I had a friend who worked the European division of UMG taking care of Def Jam stuff and she told the word around the office was he was basically a makeshift exec, basically there to be an attraction for people to sign with but have no real influence. I dont know bout that, from what she said he seemed to be at least an artist talent scout but who knows.

Yep Jay was just a figurehead with no power

 

[Lil Bape the PostGod]

Didn’t he sign Aztek to a Spanish version of roc nation via def jam

 

[DarkmanX]

Kanye blew long before jay became president. jay wasn't even the guy pushing for Kanye at rocafella. that was dame dash.
rick ross was a joint venture.

I doubt jay really did much. hes always been more of a mascot-for-hire, posing as some sort of great businessman.

aka run-boy for Lyor

 

[Cloud McFly]

Epic Records CEO L.A. Reid recounts meeting Rihanna for the first time in this exclusive excerpt from his memoir Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next.

At Island Def Jam, Jay Z, whom I'd hired to be president of Def Jam, became one of my great teachers. When he first brought Rihanna into the office for an audition in February 2005, we worked like a team.

I first laid eyes on her in the hallway. I didn't know she was a singer or anything, just a pretty girl standing outside somebody's office. Then Jay Z burst into my office.

"You have to see this girl," he said.We went back to his office and he introduced me. She was a startlingly beautiful 17-year-old from Barbados. She opened her audition with a Beyoncé song, singing, but the whole time piercing me with these laser eyes. I saw her determination, her commitment. I saw someone who was going to be a big star someday. My head was spinning. She sang another song, "Pon De Replay," that would become her first hit. After she was done, I looked at Jay Z.

"Don't let her leave the building," I said.

I left it to Jay Z's guys to close the deal, and she signed her contract that day.

Yeah, that sounds like the figurehead with no power, who was only signed to be the mascot

 

[Alvin]

Didn’t he sign Aztek to a Spanish version of roc nation via def jam

He was on the college dropout booklet

 

[Alvin]

Or owner/c.e.o?

I heard some ppl at Def Jam were sour.

However I also heard he was at that office at 8am to 6pm daily. He was paid $10 million over several years.

The greatest act was under his leadership - Jay launching the careers of Rihanna, Rick Ross and Kanye.

Any other into about his Def Jam tennure?

He wasn't the owner or CEO that's what people get wrong about his tenure on Def Jam. He was the president which at worst, he was essentially a upper mid-level manager with power over personnel but not enough to alter or make decisions which is what it sounds like.

But it could possibly be he was turned down on certain things, remember that XXL cover with him, Kanye, foxy, tearria Marie and LeBron? Something tells me the same vision he has for roc nation he wanted for def jam (sports agency, new artist, management deals)

 

[Sinister]

He wasn't the owner or CEO that's what people get wrong about his tenure on Def Jam. He was the president which at worst, he was essentially a upper mid-level manager with power over personnel but not enough to alter or make decisions which is what it sounds like.

But it could possibly be he was turned down on certain things, remember that XXL cover with him, Kanye, foxy, tearria Marie and LeBron? Something tells me the same vision he has for roc nation he wanted for def jam (sports agency, new artist, management deals)

He was president and CEO both

 

[Ziggiy]

Some good things happened under his watch and some not so great things happened under his watch.


I believe personally that he had some power and definitely was a voice in certain decision making but LA Reid quietly handled the BIG decisions. For instance, Nas always maintained that LA Reid was the one who got him to leave Columbia and Not take a Vice President deal with Atlantic, to sign a big deal with Def Jam. Hov didn’t make that decision, but making peace with Nas and then doing the I Declare War reunion certainly HELPED make matters and negotiations possible for all involved. That led to Nas releasing three straight number 1 solo albums.


I see alot of people arguing over the Kanye thing, but lets NOT forget that in the end Kanye chose to go with Jay over Dame. Now why would he do that if Jay had NO power or decision making as President of Def Jam? Obviously Hov and LA Reid could offer Kanye more than Dame could, which led to Ye staying and becoming one of the biggest artists of the 2000’s.

 

[JustCKing]

Jay-Z is the first person to downplay his Def Jam presidency, at least to a greater degree than you’d expect him to. In interviews conducted during his three-year tenure, he graded himself self-deprecatingly, with a C. When discussing it in the aftermath, he modestly upped his performance review to a mere B. The conversation around whether his wins outweigh the label’s missteps and losses has been the subject of endless debate basically since he first took the office. How much can we really disparage a run that plucked a true-blue future legend in Rihanna, shepherded the debuts of Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, The-Dream and Ne-Yo and fostered the continuing careers of Kanye West, The Roots and Ghostface Killah?



Marquee wins, countered with a few unmitigated losses. Lost within the cracks are the smaller stories that paint a picture of the cultural leader Jay strived to be. Like when he brought The Roots back to Def Jam and, in ?uestlove’s words, “begged them” not to overthink the signing by pursuing radio singles. Decisions like urging Ne-Yo to reshoot videos that might otherwise tarnish the image he was trying to create, or instilling an album-a-year work ethic in Rihanna that mirrored his own original output so that she could never be defined by one mere single. Or that time he bought a block of Angie Martinez’s ad-time on Hot 97 and used some of the airspace to declare The-Dream one of the most talented songwriters ever while premiering “Shawty Is Da shyt.” In the argument that he put his own albums first, consider that he gave Fabolous not one but two songs that would go on to be among his fellow Brooklynite’s biggest hits: “Make Me Better,” and “Money Goes, Honey Stay.”

https://www.defjam.com/news/looking-back-jay-zs-run-def-jam-president

^^^ sums up his run as president of Def Jam. Let The Booth tell it, Jay was just a figurehead with no power and did nothing.

 

[Idaeo]

 

[Take It In Blood]

Let Arabs ride his back

 

[OHSNAP!]

Sucking on Rihanna's cameltoe, I mean signing her